Why Colleges Ask You To Write Essays

Why Colleges Ask You To Write Essays However, while it’s true that the essay isn’t the only thing that matters to college admissions officers, a great essay can actually compensate for less than stellar grades. On the flip side, abad essaycan overshadow all of your other accomplishments. works as a high school English teacher at a school for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities. She graduated from The George Washington University with a Master’s Degree in Secondary Special Education and Transition Services in 2013. Talk to at least one adult about disclosing your disability in your college essay. Whether writing is a strength of yours or a struggle, it is imperative that you start early on the process of writing your essay. Writing a good essay can take a long time and require several drafts. Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. To identify key ingredients of a good college essay. There are supplementary essays for some schools, in addition to the common app essay, that are just 300 words or less. No one ever gets a piece of writing perfect on his or her first draft. You will need to be patient with yourself and give yourself plenty of time to take breaks, ask advice, and edit your essay. You may not always have a choice of your essay topic. This second version isn’t going to win any awards, and it definitely needs more work, but the specificity is there. If the person reading this essay had no idea about marching band or music, this description would give them enough detail to empathize with the writer. It helps you get all the obvious stuff out of your head first. Do not focus on the things you cannot do or highlight your weaknesses. Acceptance into college is dependent on your strengths and academic abilities. If you think about it, that’s only sentences or so. However, do be careful with slang, colloquialism, and inappropriate language. You need to remember that you have no idea who will be reading your essay â€" it could be an admissions counselor in her early 20s, or a part-time admissions reader in his mid-70s. However, you will always have a choice on exactly what you write about within the topic guidelines. Your passion about the topic will show through your writing and make your essay stronger. Your motivation to write will become stronger if you are excited about the topic. Make a list of the keys to a good college essay, then list why they are important. College essays, though not the most important thing, are very important in the application process. Discuss how your disability has made you the person you are today. Emphasize how it has made you stronger, think outside the box, or overcome adversity. When you begin to write an essay, it’s normal to fall back on clichés. That’s okay to start â€" it gets you in the flow of writing. But we want to get that stuff out of the way as quickly as possible so we can move on to the not so obvious. However, most people don’t have such novel experiences. Don’t think that your life is too “boring” to provide material for a great essay.With the right approach, you can still write an essay that wows.